Shapes of Things
by Alex Foster
Summary: This is Gretchen’s life now. Post ep for Brave New World.


Title: Shapes of Things

Author: Alex Foster

Category: General

Characters: Claire/Gretchen

Rating: PG

Summary: This is Gretchen's life now. Post ep for Brave New World.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by NBC. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: So this might be a little late for a post ep, but I had it sitting on my hard drive for a while and got waylaid by new developments around my coffee shop. So very many things I'd like to write, but the day just doesn't seem long enough to get to everything. Better late than never though. Thanks for reading.

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_On this shrunken globe, men can no longer live as strangers._

-Adlai Stevenson

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Gretchen had only left the TV on for background noise. Without Claire padding around the dorm room was a little too quiet for her comfort. Lost in a book she hadn't even heard the news break in with a special report out of Central Park. Only the familiar voice coming from the tiny speaker identifying herself as Claire Bennet caught her attention.

It didn't take long to realize what had happened. Central Park was fine, the world was safe, but video of Claire regenerating was on every channel and there were talking heads theorizing about abilities. For a long moment she just stared at the screen, textbook forgotten, and watched Claire reset her bones over and over again as the video looped.

Then she was running.

Gretchen made it halfway to her parking space before she realized Claire still had her car. She hurried back to the dorm, barely noticing the TV and lights were still on, and grabbed her purse.

One cab ride, bus ticket, and several long hours later she was in New York. It was nearly dawn but there was no doubt of her destination. Government agents had large sections of Central Park cordoned off and there was a massive crush of people surrounding the area.

Standing on her toes, trying to see over the crowd, Gretchen watched the flashing emergency lights and tried not to imagine Claire strapped down in one of those ambulances. Would this be her life now? Medical labs and large groups of people trying to catch a glimpse of the superpowered freak?

She managed to push to the front of the line, but only saw officers and men in suits milling around the park. Across the cordoned off area she saw several SUVs drive away but the windows were blacked out and she couldn't see inside.

"Ma'am, you shouldn't be here."

Gretchen looked up to see a strangely familiar dark haired man standing beside her. "I'm sorry, I was just—"

"Please come with me." He pointed to a space along the barricades. "This way."

She didn't think he was a police officer, but found herself following him regardless and almost as though she wasn't in complete control of the decision to walk around the barricades. Her thoughts clouded as she tried to work out why he hadn't singled anyone else out, or why no one seemed to notice her on the wrong side of the roadblock.

"Someone might recognize you," he said. "Reporters are Claire's newest Facebook friends. It's not just specials they are going to want to talk to but those close to them as well."

Gretchen stopped walking. "Who are you?"

They were away from the crowd now and she caught the shimmer of air from the corner of her eye and she realized an ability of some sort was masking them from the people. "I'm a friend and I'm taking you to her."

In a strange city at five in the morning in a world suddenly different that should not have been nearly enough. But Gretchen didn't ask anything further and started following again. This was her life now, she knew. Living among people that could change what everyone saw, make people do things, and almost turn the middle of New York City into a sinkhole.

Backing out didn't occur to her so she kept walking.

He led her through the growing throng of morning traffic as the sun came up. Gretchen was almost tempted to ask if he could fly them where they were going, but didn't because his answer just might be yes. And she didn't think she was quite ready to be that progressive.

They were in a decidedly upscale part of the city when they finally ducked inside one of the apartment buildings. No one inside the lobby moved to stop them or even showed signs of seeing them at all. Gretchen stood as far from him as the elevator would allow as they rode up to the penthouse.

The doors parted and she was suddenly in a room filled with people she'd mostly seen only in pictures on Claire's phone. Mr. Bennet glanced momentarily her way but then went back to talking to a small older woman with a tightly drawn face. Claire's grandmother? Gretchen couldn't immediately place a name to the face. Peter Petrelli looked up when the doors opened but his gaze went to the dark haired man behind her. Something unspoken passed between them and he turned back to a blonde woman with bandages on her fingers.

Tension filled the room and made her already nervous stomach flip. Everyone was still dirty and banged up from the fight the night before and talked in hushed urgent tones. She stood unsure in the doorway before her guide helpfully pointed down a hallway. "This is probably going to be a while," he said. "Angela will give her some time alone. Go be with her."

Gretchen mumbled her thanks and stole one last glance at the room full of important people before ducking down the hall. The world was different now and this was the group that was going to lead the charge. No one noticed her as she slipped away; the dark haired man was now standing beside Peter talking to the blonde.

Gretchen found her in a bedroom big enough to house their dorm room a couple of times over. Wrapped in a robe, she lay on her side with knees drawn up to her chest. Wet hair clung to her scalp and dripped onto the pillow. Gretchen took a deep breath and smelled strawberry shampoo and expensive soap.

Claire looked at her but didn't sit up. "Hey."

"Hey." Gretchen pushed the door shut and walked to the bed. "So I was watching the news last night…"

She smiled. "Anything good on?"

Gretchen kicked off her shoes and lay next to her, face to face. "You've got a lot of scary people in the other room very cranky."

Claire's skin still looked flushed from a hot shower and she blinked sleepily. "Yeah, well they will get over it."

"Was it the only way?"

She thought for a moment and then nodded against the arm bracing her head. "Yes."

"Then it was the right thing to do." Gretchen tucked an errant strand of damp blonde hair behind Claire's ear. "Though you might be the only person in history to make every major headline around the world and shut down New York City just by coming out of the closet."

"Well…pretty big closet."

Gretchen laughed and agreed. The murmuring outside the room suddenly seemed further away and she thought again that this was her life now…and she was happy with it.

**End**


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